Israeli-Arab ‘at-risk’ females get far less support than Jewish counterparts

Israel’s social affairs ministry spends on average 70 per cent more on Jewish women and girls who are deemed to be “at risk” than what is spent on Arab women citizens in the same condition, Haaretz reported on Monday. Official data shows that the ministry’s budget for Jewish girls and women is up to 76,551 shekels, while the Arab women get less than NIS 30,000, highlighting the level of official discrimination.

According to Haaretz, the ministry of social affairs defines “at risk females” as being single, aged between 12 and 25 and who exhibit self-destructive tendencies. In 2015, 4,500 Arab females met the criteria, as did 11,700 Jewish females, but the total budget allocated to support the Jewish females was estimated at NIS 900 million, while for the Arab females it was just NIS 200 million.

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“Most of the funds spent to treat these women go towards supporting boarding schools,” reported Haaretz, “but this method is less appropriate for Arab girls as it is viewed as less acceptable in Arab society for girls to be sent away from home.” Only nine per cent of Arab females enrol in boarding schools, of which there are only two in the country which they can attend.

The most suitable solution for Arab girls “at risk” is the Warm Home project, suggested Haaretz. It provides help to young women inside their own communities, although it only gets 17 per cent of the budget allocation.